loa_log

[Journal]

July of last year, I went to the dentist for the first time in about 10 years. I know it sounds crazy to not go for that long, but my parents never really took me to the dentist when I was younger, so I never thought to go have my teeth checked regularly.

When I was in college, my wisdom teeth started to show and I had some irritation, so I went to a dentist near my university. I was told then that my jaw was most likely big enough to accommodate all four of the wisdom teeth that were starting to show. So, I waited for my teeth to grow out.

For several years, I could feel a slight difference in the amount of tooth that was showing from my gums every few months or so. But 10 years later, my teeth never fully emerged from my gums… The top two were mostly out, but the bottom two teeth were half showing and half in my gums, with a little flap of gum covering the top of the teeth. This wasn’t that big of a problem for me until the flap on the top became bigger and food would get stuck. I’d use toothpicks and floss to try and get as much of it out as I could, but it was starting to cause a fowl smell and taste from the back of my mouth…

I finally went to see a dentist in Japan to get an x-ray. Apparently, my jaw was in the way of the teeth that were trying to grow out and waiting any longer wouldn’t help. If anything, the wisdom teeth were pushing my other teeth together and causing them to become misaligned…

I booked an appointment right away at the dentist in Kawasaki and got my upper right wisdom tooth removed. The other three, I got removed at a dentist in Kagoshima. It took a total of six months and eight dentist visits, but I got my last wisdom tooth removed yesterday!

Although the dentist visits weren’t as annoying or painful as I thought, I’m glad it’s over and I hope to not have to see a dentist for a while aside from getting my teeth cleaned.